FORT WORTH, Texas – The University of Denver women's gymnastics team celebrated its historic 2019 campaign with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Team Final on Saturday.
 
By virtue of the team's finish, Denver will end the season ranked No. 4 in the nation, shattering the program record for highest final ranking (previous ninth in 2017). It is also the highest that DU has ever been ranked at any point in the season.
 
"They showed that they deserved to be on that stage tonight and held their own in the first Four on the Floor," head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. "It took a tremendous amount of mental toughness to do what they just did. They were locked in and showed determination from start to finish. It was a complete performance, and they represented the University of Denver with pride."
 
Denver began the evening on floor, highlighted by a 9.9125 from 2019 NCAA Floor Champion and DU sophomore Lynnzee Brown (Kansas City, Mo.). In the final floor routine of her career, senior Kaitlyn Schou (Orlando, Fla.) scored a 9.8375, which freshman Alexandria Ruiz (Lake Mary, Fla.) also earned. Sophomore Mia Sundstrom (Boulder, Colo.) added a 9.825, and senior Claire Kern (Charlotte, N.C.) had DU's final counted score with a 9.7625 in the final floor routine of her career.
 
DU posted a 49.2125 on vault, topping its semifinal performance by more than a tenth to set a new program NCAA Nationals record. Junior Maddie Karr (Stillwater, Minn.) stuck her Yurchenko one-and-a-half for a 9.9125, which becomes the program's second-best vault score at the NCAA National Championships. Sophomore Emily Glynn (Longmont, Colo.), too, stuck her vault – a Tsukahara full – for a career-high 9.8625, which Brown also tallied. Sundstrom added a 9.825. In her final appearance as a DU gymnast, senior Diana Chesnok (Charlotte, N.C.) scored a 9.7625.
 
The Pioneers moved to bars in the third rotation, tallying a 49.2375 overall with five scores above 9.800. Ruiz led the team with a 9.8875, just .0125 off of her career high. Karr recorded a 9.8625 in the anchor position after following a 9.850 from Brown, and Sundstrom had a 9.825. Senior and co-team captain Kern, who competed on bars in every meet of her career, earned a 9.8125 in her final routine.
 
DU's final rotation was also its strongest of the evening. The Denver beam squad combined for six scores of at least 9.825 for a 49.350 overall, a new program record for highest score at NCAA Nationals. Ruiz and freshman Alexis Vasquez (Arcadia, Calif.) both had 9.825s, and Sundstrom earned a 9.8375. In the leadoff position, Brown scored a 9.8625, and Karr improved on her semifinal score for a 9.8875.
 
Senior Kaitlyn Schou was Denver's final performer, ending her career with a stellar beam routine that scored a team-best 9.9375. Schou has been a three-event gymnast for most of her career and completed her time at DU without ever haven fallen in competition. In total, she finished with 158 consecutive hit routines for Denver.
 
Four Pioneers competed in the all-around once again for DU. Brown led the team with a 39.5125. Karr was second with a 39.350, Sundstrom third with a 39.3000 and Ruiz fourth with a 39.2875.

Denver finished with a 197.000 for the team's 11th score of 197+ this season. Fellow Big 12 Conference team Oklahoma captured the national title with a 198.3375. LSU was second with a 197.825, and UCLA was third with a 197.5375.
 
Reflecting on the team's accomplishments, Kutcher-Rinehart added, "Obviously, it was an incredible weekend and an incredible finish to a record-breaking season."
 
Her final thought about the 2019 campaign: "What a special team."
 
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